Iceland: Part Four
This is the second last chapter in my Iceland photo diary, so thank you if you’ve made it this far! Luckily it was another sparkling blue day in the land of fire and ice, as I had set off to explore the south coast of Iceland. It was going to be a long day, around nine hours in total but of course it was worth it. I ended up seeing many new landscapes and natural spaces that were nothing like what I had ever seen before.
My first stop on the day was Skógafoss waterfall where I was lucky enough to have the weather on my side, you can see the result of this with the appearance of the rainbow. A beautiful natural sight where you can get right up close to the falls, I’m also not sure if I’ve seen a rainbow that close before. By the end of the time I was there, the weather had changed slightly and the rainbow disappeared with it, so I was really lucky to capture this during the first minutes on arrival.
The second location of the day was to visit Solheimajokull glacier which was incredible! I had only seen snow in person a few times by this point, so I had no idea of what to expect. The site itself was breathtaking, it was so vast and expansive and I really loved taking a few moments in the short time i had available. The photos above don’t quite do it justice in demonstrating the true size of the area. It wasn’t as cold as some would imagine, rather the strong wind gusts were very harsh to deal with. Such an incredible site that was really cool to see in person. I won’t lie, every time I look at the picture above I can’t help but think of cookies and cream ice cream!
The most southern point of our trip was to the village of Vík, which is famous for its black sand beaches and woollen goods. It was our lunch stop, but I spent most of the time exploring the beach and the landscape. It is completely different to the beaches I grew up with and to be honest it was a strange feeling being on a beach when snow flakes began to fall. The area is beautiful and sits at the base of mountains, which you can see in the images above. The three sea stacks in the distance are one of the many iconic images that are associated with Iceland.
Once lunch was over we returned along the road we entered from, to see the other side of the mountain. Here we explored the volcanic Reynisfjara beach and the famous basalt sea stacks. It is absolutely beautiful there and you can feel the power that nature and the elements exert here. Beware the wind can be above gail force and the waves are incredibly treacherous, so take extra caution and be careful if you’re ever visiting. The wind was so strong it was physically pushing me around at a few points. The basalt rock pillars are really interesting and are much like those found at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, with their own folklore story as well.
Our final stop was again at another iconic Icelandic site, Seljalandsfoss waterfall – another incredible location! Again it was huge and the photos don’t quite capture the scale of it. The best part though, is that you can actually walk behind this waterfall! Once I got some interior shots I put my camera away and explored the cavernous space behind the water curtain, such a cool experience. I even found another Australian walking on the other side. We’re literally every where and will find each other, even on the other side of the world.
Once we finished exploring the waterfall we made our way back to Reykjavik for the evening. A long day but well worth it, I saw so many amazing locations and it was a brilliant way to spend the end of my week in the country. Keep an eye out for my final segment of my Iceland photo diary – coming soon!
Kathleen Freeman is a graphic designer and freelance writer; she is currently undertaking a Media and Communications degree. In her spare time she continues the search to find the book/coffee shop combination store throughout the globe.
All images, unless otherwise stated, are copyright of Kathleen Freeman, and may not be reproduced without express written permission of the author.